Angus Young
Hard RockBlues-Rock1970s–present

Angus Young

Gibson SG bridge humbucker into a Marshall 1959 Super Lead at full volume — the power tubes saturating under load create natural, punchy crunch with strong midrange. No effects in the signal path at all. The Schaffer-Vega wireless system Angus used in the 1970s acted as a subtle buffer and boost; modern setups compensate with the guitar's volume knob.

Budget Rig Breakdown

Signal Chain

GuitarEpiphone SG
BoostXotic EP
AmpKatana 100
Epiphone SG Special — Guitar
Boss Katana 100 MkII — Amp
Estimated total~£487

Key Tone Tips

  • Bridge pickup only — Angus never touches the neck pickup for his core tone
  • Crank the amp until the power tubes saturate — bedroom volumes require a different approach
  • Zero pedals: use the amp's natural drive and the guitar volume as your only controls
  • Guitar volume at 10 for maximum crunch; roll back to 6–7 for cleaner rhythm parts
  • Marshall EQ: bass 5, mid 7, treble 6, presence 7 — mid-forward, never scooped
  • At bedroom volumes, use a Marshall DSL with the overdrive channel at moderate gain
  • SG-style humbuckers are essential — single coils won't give the right punchy attack
  • Let strings ring open — Angus uses minimal palm muting; the ring-out is part of the sound
  • Chuck Berry-influenced double-stop bends are central to AC/DC's rhythmic vocabulary

About Angus Young's Sound

Angus Young's AC/DC tone is the purest expression of a humbucker meeting a pushed Marshall — no effects, no pedals, just raw power. His SG through a cranked Super Lead delivers explosive crunch that has powered some of the best-selling rock albums ever made.